Trihedral tubular beam support



June 4, 1957 J. w. PHILIPPovlc v2,794,539

I TRIHEDRAL TUBULAR BEAM SUPPORT Filed Jan. 20, 1955 4 Sheets-smeet l IN VEN TOR.

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H- l l LIIHHITWHW H H1HHHWMHAHHMHwlIMHHHWMHHH|HMHHHHH June 4, 1957 Filed Jan. 20, 1955 J. W. PHlLlFPOVIC TRIHEDRAL TUBULAR BEAM SUPPORT 4 Sheets-snee? 2 Hfs A Tro/eusv June 4, 1957 J. W. PHlLlPPOVlC TRIHEDRAI.. TUBULAR BEAM SUPPORT Filed Jan. 20, 1955 4 Shenets-Sneet 3 f` FII/lll lvl/lll l Ill JNVENTOR.

./oAc/-f/M WOLFGANG P14/wpa wc H/ ATTo/ENEY June 4, 1957 J. w. PHlLlPPovlc 2,794,539

TRHEDRAL TUBULR BEAM SUPPORT Fglved Jan. 20, 1955 4 Sheets-smeet 4 JNVENToR. JoAcH/M WOLFGANG Pfl/UPP@ wc Hfs A rroeusy DRAL TUBULAR BEAM SUPPORT Joachim Wolfgang Philippovic, Indiana, Pa., assigner to Syntron Company, Homer City, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Application January 20, 1955, Serial No. 483,112

8 Claims. (Cl. 198-220) This invention relates generally to conveyors and more particularly to the spring suspension ltrough supporting structure .of the conveyor.

Conveyors and particularly balanced vibratory conveyors are usually provided with two subjacent and independent trough sections connected to-each other through many tuned springs and guide arm units. The whole of this system is suspended from mid position of the connecting guide links or springs. One independent conveyor trough section balances the other through this tuned spring system and substantially no reaction is transmitted through the connecting guide links to the support as shown in United States Patent No. 2,725,984, issued December 6, 1955, for Vibratory Conveyors. However, a considerable twisting action arises between the spring supports and is eiective on the conveyor trough sections. The springs were originally secured to kthe sides of the trough sections. This twisting action literally tore Vthe trough sections apart. Intermediate spring suspension members or drive bems were then inserted between the two sets of springs and. .placed on each side of a trough. This alone was found inadequate to prevent the destruction of the trough.

The principal object of this VVinvention'is-the provisie of a drive beam structure for Ymounting dual .spring trough supporting means under or Von each side of zbalance'd conveyor troughs to prevent their destruction. These drive beams oiset the twisting :and trough tearing action of the tuning springs.

Another object is the Iprovision ,of an open drive 'beam States Patent 'C for a balanced conveyor trough system. This open .drive beam permits construction and Aadjustment of l.the dual spring means when the trough is in place.

Another object is the provision of .an open drive beam having trihedrally mounted tubes interconnected with triangular .plates to which the ends of .pairs of .connecting springs are secured. A pair .of drive beams connected by parallel rows of Vsprings permit the springs to Ibe tightened or adjusted and provide a secure and balanced structure to withstand the forces induced by the oscillating conveyor sections.

Another object is the provisionof an improved Vrotary driver crank means for a balanced swing mass .wherein the driver is mounted on one mass and .connected to the other mass for simultaneously moving said masses in opposite directions. This improved crank means is completely enclosed preventing dust from enteiingand wearing the parts of this vibratory drive.

Another object is the provision of a novel cradle structure suspended between a pair of driving beams to complete a supporting frame for conveyor.

Other objects and advantages appear hereinafter' in the following description and claims.

The accompanying drawings show for the purpose lof exemplication without limiting the invention or Aclaims thereto certain practical embodiments illustrating the principles of the invention wherein:

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Fig. l is a View in side elevation of the balanced conveyor structure comprising this invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a plane view of one of the cradles for supporting the conveyor section.

Fig. 4 is a detailed sectional view of the supporting connecting links between the balanced conveyor members.

Fig. 5 is a detailed sectional view of the connecting rod drive between the balanced conveyor units.

Pig. 6 is a view of a single beam structure for a double swing singular conveyor.

Fig. 7 is a view of a single beam structure for a double swing double conveyor.

Referring to the drawings, the conveyor comprises the base 1 formed of I beams 2 connected by the cross channels 3. At each cross channel the l beams have a series Aofoppo'sed standards 4 in the form of vertical chan nels braced bythe angle plates 5 and the straps 6 which actually extend through the open driving beam of the lower conveyor and are connected to the cross channels. The Vtop of each standard d is provided with a bearing 7 to support the transverse shafts S which are connected between each pair of standards. The conveyors may be fifty or one hundred feet in length and this base structure must be made suiciently long to support such a conveyor. The long conveyors may have as many as eight or ten Vtransverse shafts 8. Each shaft 8 carries a pair of arms 10 having spaced hub sections 11 with two pairs of plates 12 secured thereto. The outer end of each `pair lof plates 12 carries a pin '-13 with a bushing 14 mountedthereon and journaled in a second bushing l5 secured to the upper and lower pairs of drive beams 16 and 17 on one side ofthe conveyor.

The upper and lower pairs -of drive beams 16 and 17 are rtrihedral and are mounted to oppose each other. These "beams have two spaced -tubes 18 and 19 in one plane and a third tube 20 triangularly spaced therefrom. Theltr'ihedrallyfarranged tubes are connected by triangular plates 21 and 22 which are flanged along theirs'ide edges as indicated at 23. The top of each plate 21 connects with the tubes and with the top 'of the Vnext consecutive plate 22 in yone direction, and the "bottom of each plate '211 connects withl the Y'bottom of the lconsecutive plate 22 in the yother `direction as indicated in Fig. Yl. The ends of these open drive beams are covered Vwith vertical 'triangularplates 24 which may be weighted 'if it is necessary to balance ithe device. .The top drive beam is disposed Yopposite tothe bottom drive beam.

Selected of the plates '21 have Ya transverse channel plateZS iXed thereto and which 'extend beyond both sides of the plates 22 to form spring 'seats and receive the bolts 26 that clamp the ends of two sets .of springs 27 at opposite ends of the channel 25. The springs connect'th'e upper and lower open drive means on each side of each drive beam. 'in oneshort conveyor `section there may be as many as four sets of springs on each side of the conveyor u'ough or there may be as many as sixteen sets. IEach set of springs 27 .may have Vas many as .two to eight hat leat` springs depending upon the load and tuning required. The plates 21 and.25 are mounted vat vthe same angle as the arms 1li. The plate -22 Yis made suiciently long 'to connect between the top of one plate 21 and the bottom ofthe next plate 21 ofthe trihedral frame. The connecting springs straddle .the Vsingle tube 2li and are not .much wider than the two :tubes 18 and 19.

The upper and lower drive beams of the conveyor units are connected by the guide arms '10 andthe springs 27 and the whole of this vibrating unit is supported from the center bearings of these guide arms. VThe arms are ap-l proximate'ly two-'thirds to three-fourths the length of the' wht..

springs. The drive beam bushing 15, which is made of resilient material, such as rubber or the like, supports the pins in the ends of the guide arms, and' is mountedby compressing it axially in housings formed into the plates 21 at their corresponding locations. With the exception of the braces 6, each of these parts is welded together to form an integral upper and lower trihedral driving beam structure. These upper and lower driving beams are connected by the spaced cross tubes 28 Vwhich connect the lower tubes of each drive beam at positions forward of the connection of angularly disposed plates 2l and 22. Adjacent to the drive connection these frames are reinforced by the diagonal braces 29 of which there are four making an X brace. The straps 30 andv31 are secured to each cross tube 28 and to the upper tube of the drive beam of the upper and lower conveyor frames as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. rl`hus the straps 3) and Siccomplete the frames or cradles for receiving the upper and lower conveyor troughs 32 and 33.

At the drive position on each side of the conveyor, the lower drive frame is provided with a vertical box plate V34 that rhas welded thereto the outer edge of the sloping plate 22. The top of the plate 34 has the heavy oor plate 35 connecting it to the tube Ztl of the lower drive beam 1l?. The floor plate 35 on each side of the conveyor has secured thereto the housing 36 which has mounted therein the bearing 37' to support the shaft 38. The shaft 38 projects beyond the bearing 37 and has a reduced section 40 formed thereon. The reduced section 40 has the eccentric sleeve 41 locked thereon by the key 42. A bearing 43 is mounted on the eccentric sleeve and it in turn is carried in the bearing housing 44 which has a connecting rod 45 extending to another bearing housing 46. This housing carries the resilient bearing 47 that engages on the stub tube shaft 48 attached to the upper drive frame. When the shaft 33 mounted on the lower conveyor drive beam is rotated, the eccentric sleeve 41 moves the connecting rod 42 to alternately push and pull the upper and lower conveyor drive beams relative to each other. Y When the eccentric pushes, the upper drive beams move forward on to the right and the lower drive beams move back or to the left. veyor moves back and the lower moves forward. 'I'hus the arms 10 oscillate rst clockwise, then counterclockwise and this movement exes the springs 27. Ifrthese springs 27 are tuned just a few cycles above or below the natural period of this mechanical system then the continuous operation will follow a predetermined vibration at a selected speed of rotation of the shaft 38.

To keep these driving parts freeV of dirt and dust the shaft 38 is enclosed by the tube 50 which has end anges 51 connected to their respective housings 36. The outer end of the housing 36 has the casing 52 attached thereto which is shaped to enclose the bearing housing 44 and has a shaped and tted lid 53 closed by the seal 54. A exible boot or sleeve 56 around the connecting rod 45 shields out the dirt and exes as the eccentric travels each revolution.

One end of the reduced section 40 of the shaft 38 extends to a second reduced section 57 which has the driver pulley 60 secured thereon by the key 61. 'Ihe face of the pulley 60 has multiple grooves 62 to receive V belts 63 connecting with the drive pulley 64 on the shaft 65 of the motor 66. This motor may be varied in speed to operate the conveyor at different periods of reciprocation per minute to accommodate ditferent loads and within the range When the eccentric pulls, the upper con 4 of the operation of the conveyor, or the most suitable speed range can be selected and fixed by choosing the appropriate driver-to-driver pulley ratio. rIlhe motor 66 may be mounted on the base 67 attached to one of the I beams 2 which is preferably located so that the V belts merely move laterally with the movement of the eccentric providing very little change in the length of these belts as they drive the conveyor. The conveyor troughs vmay, be solid or they may have screen sections to operate with each other or with another conveyor or storage unit therebelow. They may have partitions or other means of segregating and stiiening the trough because of its great length which may be greater than several hundred feet.

In the structure shown in Fig. 6, the single trough 70 is supported on one upper drive beam which in turn is pivotally supported by the guide arms 10 that are swung from the shafts 8 supported from the standard 4. The lower drive beam is merely a counter-balance to the upper drive beam and trough providing an equal and opposite counter-balance weight. In the structure of Fig. 6 weights such as illustrated at 72 may be employed as a substitute of the lower conveyor to equalize the balance of the conveyor.

The structure shown in Fig. 7 is similar to that shown in Fig. 6 but employs an upper trough 70 as well as a lower trough 71, which is attached to the lower beam and which balance each other.

The attachment of the"con'necting`rod to the other beam by means of an elastic bushing permits the translation of the natural rocking motion of the connecting rod into straight line push-pull, and also allows for fractional deviations between the tuned spring-mass'system and the compulsory drive stroke and frequency.

The whole conveyor may be suspended by cables on suitable superstructures at the bearing supports 7, thus saving height and dispensing with the base 1 and the standards 4.

y I claim: I Y

- l. A driving beam vibratory conveyor trough support comprising a set of three parallel tubes on each side of the conveyor trough, a series of spaced triangular plates for each set of tubes to secure them in trihedral relation with the plates sloping in parallel planes, a second series of triangular plates for each set of tubes sloped in the opposite direction and secured to and connecting the tubes adjacent the connections of the rst series of plates to provide staggered bracing, and transverse bars connecting the driving beams on each side of the conveyor trough. Y

2. The structure of claim 1 which also includes a series of anchored vibratory tunable spring means each having one end secured to selected of said plates to pro- Vmeans are anchored to corresponding triangular plates of driving beams on said second vibratory conveyor.

5. The structure of claim 4 characterized in that said spring means comprises two sets of springs at each location on each driving beam.

6. A driving beam conveyor supporting structure for balanced conveyor comprising a base, spaced parallel shafts suspended from said base, spaced guide arms mounted on each shaft, an upper and a lower conveyor cradle each having spaced drive beams each having three parallel tubes connected in trihedral rel-ation and connected by transverse members, pivot means comiecting the ends of said guide arms with said upper and lower drive beams to support the cradles for vibratory motion, and quadrangularly disposed leaf spring means having their ends connected to the upper and lower drive beams, each spring mean-s being disposed on opposite sides of each drive beam.

7. A conveyor drive beam for balanced swing conveyor structure comprising a base, parallel shaft means supported on said base, guide arms rotatably mounted on said shafts, drive beam means having three parallel tubes connected in trihedral relation and pivotally connected to the upper ends of said guide arms, second drive beam means having three parallel tubes connected in trihedral relation and pivotally connected to the lower ends of said guide arms, and trough means carried by at least one of said drive beams.

8. A balanced conveyor comprising a pair of conveyor drive beams each having three parallel tubes connected in trihedral relation by alternately disposed plates forming a zigzag brace, a base, spaced guide arms pivotally 10 2,644,995

mounted on said base, pivot means on the ends of said guide arms to lsupport said drive beams one above the other, spring means connecting the drive beams, and drive means connected between said drive beams to simulta- 5 neously push them in opposite directions.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Renner Ian. 5, 1954 

